Python abandoned by park bin in Oxford with medical record taped to box

A ball python snake abandoned by a park bin in Oxford has been found by a member of the public.

The snake was discovered by a bin in Rivermead Nature Park on Monday 6 November with information on the box about its breeding and health.

On the box someone had written that the snake was called Barry, and said: “Handle with care, ball python. Non-venomous reptile enclosed.”

The member of the public took the snake home for safekeeping and then contacted the RSPCA.

Inspector Malwina Gasiorek collected the snake and transferred it to a specialist exotics centre.

Malwina said: “This poor snake was abandoned and was very lucky to be found and rescued in time.“Snakes are unable to produce their own body heat, and with the colder weather we’re having recently, the snake may not have survived for much longer on its own.”

On the box, there was also a typed-up piece of paper which had details about when the snake hatched, the dates of its first and last shed and information about when they last fed.

Malwina added: “Whoever abandoned this snake knew plenty of information about it, which is why it is baffling to understand why they were abandoned. If they weren’t able to look after the snake anymore, the snake should have been taken to an exotics centre.

“No matter what the reason, abandoning an animal alone and in a situation like this is never okay. There is no guarantee that an abandoned animal will be found or not become hurt or lost.”

The discovery comes as the RSPCA has set up its 'Join the Christmas Rescue' campaign - which shows that abandonment calls coming into its emergency line are at a three-year high.In October, 1,800 incidents of abandonment were reported to the RSPCA higher than the number in that month in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Anybody who is struggling to look after a pet can contact the RSPCA.

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